Know your watch

Watch guides

Movements, water resistance, glass, bracelets and sizes — explained briefly and in our own words. See also the blog.

The movement

How an automatic watch worksAn automatic watch has no battery. How a quartz watch worksA quartz watch runs on a small battery. Why does an automatic watch cost more?An automatic movement is around 150 parts that have to be assembled, oiled and adjusted; a quartz movement is a circuit board and a small motor that are mass-produced. What is power reserve?The power reserve is the time a mechanical watch runs, from the mainspring being fully wound until it stops — without being touched. ETA and movement calibresA calibre is the name of a specific movement (e.g. ETA 2824-2 = a classic Swiss automatic movement; Citizen E111 = a Eco-Drive movement; Miyota 2315 = a Ja… How accurate is a watch?A typical automatic watch runs within roughly −10 to +30 seconds a day; a well-regulated movement stays within a few seconds. Magnetism and watchesIt is the magnets that cause the problem: the magnetic clasp on a phone case or bag, a phone with a magnet on the back (e.g. MagSafe), a laptop, a speaker, the fri… What is a tourbillon?A tourbillon is a small rotating cage that holds the escapement and balance. Open heart and skeletonThree ways to show off the movement: a display back (exhibition caseback) is sapphire or mineral glass in the case back, so you can see the rotor and movement when you turn the watch…

Use and care

How to wind a watchIf your automatic watch has stopped, wind it by the crown: turn it forwards (away from you) 20–30 times in the innermost position, and the mainspring is charged and the wa… How to set the date and timeOn most watches you pull the crown out to the first click to set the date (and day) and to the outermost click to set the time. Changing the battery in a quartz watchA quartz battery typically lasts 2–5 years (chronographs use more). Service and lifespanA mechanical watch should be serviced roughly every 5–7 years: the movement is taken apart, cleaned, oiled and adjusted, and the gaskets are replaced so it stays water resistant. Everyday use and care of your watchA watch can take more than you think, with three exceptions: saunas and hot baths (steam gets in and the gaskets suffer — take it off), hard knocks (ball games,… Water resistance: ATM, bar and metresATM, bar and metres say the same thing: 1 ATM ≈ 1 bar ≈ 10 m.

Choosing a watch

Which watch size suits your wrist?A watch's size is the diameter of the case without the crown, measured in mm. Watch types: dress watch, dive watch, pilot's watch and chronographThe big families: a dress watch is thin and simple — small, clean dial, leather strap, often just three hands — and belongs with a shirt and suit (e.g. Citizen Ele… What does Swiss Made mean?Swiss Made is protected by law: at least 60 % of the production costs must be in Switzerland, the movement must be Swiss, and the watch must be assembled and… How to read a watch's reference numberThe reference number is the watch's exact identity: Citizen's look like NB6012-18L — the first part is model and movement, the ending tells you about the case and dial… Alpina, Citizen and Maserati — the brands in briefAlpina was founded in 1883 in Geneva by Gottlieb Hauser as a community of watchmakers (Alpina Union Horlogère) and in 1938 formulated the four principles…

Functions

Chronograph and tachymeterA chronograph is a stopwatch built into the watch. GMT and world timeA GMT watch has an extra hand that makes one full turn in 24 hours, and a 24-hour scale on the bezel or dial. Moon phase and other complicationsA complication is anything a watch can do beyond showing hours, minutes and seconds: date, day, chronograph, GMT, power reserve indicator, moon phase. Luminous hands and lumeSuper-LumiNova is the luminous material on the hands and indices of most watches today: a phosphorescent pigment (strontium aluminate) that charges in li…

Materials

Sapphire or mineral glass?Sapphire crystal is synthetic sapphire — hardness 9 on the Mohs scale; only diamond is harder. Hesalite and acrylic glassHesalite is a brand name for acrylic glass — a clear plastic. Steel, titanium and ceramic316L is the stainless steel almost all watch cases are made of — "surgical steel", because it is also used for implants. PVD, IP and gold platingMost gold-coloured and black watches in the price range we carry are steel with a coating, not solid gold — a few have real gold, and then the carat is stated in…

Straps and bracelets

Lug width and changing strapsLug width is the distance between the two lugs the strap sits between, measured in millimetres (typically 18, 20 or 22 mm on men's watches, 12–16 mm on women's watches) — and it is the… Folding clasp or buckle?A buckle (tang buckle) is the classic: a pin through a hole in the strap, as on a belt. How to adjust a braceletA steel bracelet is delivered at full length and adjusted by removing links.